Schokar's bronzeback
| Schokar's Bronzeback | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Subfamily: | Colubrinae |
| Genus: | Dendrelaphis |
| Species: | D. schokari |
| Binomial name | |
| Dendrelaphis schokari (Kuhl, 1820) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Dipsas schokari Kuhl, 1820 | |
Dendrelaphis schokari, commonly Schokar's Bronzeback (Sinhala: තරු/මූකලන් හාල්දන්ඩා, Tharu/Mookalan Haaldanda in Sinhala), is a species Non–venomous arboreal snake found in Sri Lanka.[1]
Habitat and Ecology
D. schokari inhabiting forest and open areas of all climatic zones of island from lowlands to about 750m a.s.l. Diurnal and though a tree snake it is observed of foraging on land as well in searching of its prey which consist of frogs, lizards, geckos, skinks, insects and also eggs of small birds. It can make long jumps among trees if necessary while chasing its prey. It can be distinguished easily from other Dendrelaphis species by having a cream color spotted line on its olive green dorsal from neck to mid fore body along the spine.[1][2][3][4]
Description
Adult female; SVL 51.0 cm; TAIL 22.5 cm; 161 ventrals (2 preventrals); 113 subcaudals, all divided; anal shield divided; 1 loreal scale (L+R); 9 infralabials (L+R); first infralabials touch at the mental groove; first sublabial touches infralabials 6 and 7 (L+R); 9 supralabials (L+R), supralabials 5 and 6 touch the eye (L+R); 2 postoculars (L+R); temporal formula: 2+2 (L+R); dorsal formula: 15-15-11; vertebral scales enlarged but smaller than the scales of the first dorsal row; width of the dorsal scale at the position of the middle ventral 2.1 mm; eye-diameter 4.9 mm (L+R); distance anterior border of eye to posterior border of nostril 4.5 mm (L+R); a dark postocular stripe starts behind the eye, covers only the lower quarter of the temporal region and ends at the edge of the jaw; a vertebral stripe, formed by yellow spots on the vertebral scales, starts behind the head and is no longer visible after the level of the 34th ventral scale; an interparietal spot is absent; a faint light ventrolateral line is present, not bordered by black lines; ground color brown, based on the color of unshed skin; supralabials and throat yellow; ventrals yellow anteriorly, yellowish-green posteriorly.[1]:152[2]:33–43[3]:81–84[4]:583
References
- 1 2 3 Kuhl, Heinrich; van Hasselt, Johan Coenraad (1820). Beiträge zur zoologie und vergleichenden anatomie. Hermann. LCCN 06002733.
- 1 2 van Rooijen, Johan; Vogel, Gernot (2008). "An investigation into the taxonomy of Dendrelaphis tristis (Daudin, 1803): revalidation of Dipsas schokari (Kuhl, 1820) (Serpentes, Colubridae)" (PDF). Society for Southeast Asian Herpetology,Heidelberg, Germany.
- 1 2 Werner, Franz (1893). "Herpetologische Nova" (PDF). Zoologischer Anzeiger.
- 1 2 Smith, M.A. (1943). The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-Region. Reptilia and Amphibia. 3 (Serpentes). Taylor and Francis, London.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dendrelaphis schokari. |
- Colubridae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 January 2009.
- An investigation into the taxonomy of Dendrelaphis tristis (Daudin, 1803): revalidation of Dipsas schokari (Kuhl, 1820) (Serpentes, Colubridae)
- Herpetologische Nova